City News

St. Louis Park City Council bans flavored tobacco sales in St. Louis Park

Post Date:December 05, 2017 6:00 p.m.

The City of St. Louis Park has banned the sale of flavored tobacco in St. Louis Park, effective May 1, 2018. Menthol, mint and wintergreen are exempt from the list of prohibited flavors, as they have been in regular use for many decades and are not directly marketed to youth.

Although federal law prohibits flavored cigarettes, tobacco companies offer items such as cigars, chew, blunt wraps, e-cigarettes and the tobacco used in hookahs in flavors like candy, chocolate, bubble gum and fruit. Research in this area by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that flavored tobacco use is more common in youth than adults, and that of those middle and high school students who reported using tobacco products, an estimated 70% had used flavored tobacco products in the last month.

This is the latest step in the St. Louis Park City Council’s efforts to limit the availability of tobacco products in the city in order to help reduce the number of youth who begin using tobacco. On October 1, 2017, the legal age to purchase tobacco and tobacco products in St. Louis Park increased to age 21.